Evening August,
My experience with the California Cabernets was primarily during the eighties. I was lucky enough to taste some of the late 70's vintages, which from what I recall; they were some of the best. I understand that there are many bottles in private cellars that still lying and as time goes, they should prove to be excellent wines.
Lately, now and then I drink some California Cabernets, unfortunately, (IMO), these wines need time to really enjoy, as some of them are very powerful with lots of tannin that only time can mellow.
From the wines that you pointed out these are the ones that I have been able to taste:
Phelps & Beringer... Perhaps the most mellow ones of the lot but still full bodied, as a good Cabernet should be.
Heitz.... As usual, I find this wine superb, powerful, makes me think of blackcurrants. As I drink it, and it warms up in my glass, all the great aromas (perhaps I should say bouquet), become stronger), this is a wine that can be enjoyed on its own, more so than most.
Montelena... this wine reminds me of other two wines... Cakebread Cellars, and Fetzer, gentler wines, but imo in need of keeping
Ravenswood... I vaguely remember this one, for some reason makes me think of Freemark Abbey, another Cabernet from California.
Another one is Silveroak, this used to be one of my favorites, and if I remember well, they also produced a Merlot, but I am not sure.
Again, because the Cabernet in California produces such a great wine, everyone tries to have the greatest. Not that I dislike them, but I believe that if they were to blend some Merlot with them the net result would be a more versatile wine. Different styles could be achieved by experimenting with various percentages of grapes, even introducing some Malbec or Cabernet Franc as they do in Bordeaux.
I understand that some wineries have gone that route with success, others... have blended two grapes, that at least I did not know it would work....
The Bottle has a red label and it is called something along the lines of... (And I did not like it). CARMAGNAC or something to that effect. I do not remember.
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Lately (I mean in the last 5 years or so....) I have turned more towards Chardonnays, both from California: Napa, Alexander Valley, and Washington State wines, in the Yakima Valley, which are truly superb.
Here is part of the reason why domestic wines have gone to the moon in prices:
Borgogne (Burgundy), possess the most wonderful wines in the world, essentially it is boiled down to two grapes. Pinot Noir for reds and Pinot Chardonnay for whites.
Because the vineyards are rather small, the yields not as large as in Bordeaux, and the quality absolutely superb, particularly in the recognized vineyards, (i.e. the actual growers and estate bottlers, not necessarily the "Negociants"), you have a rather limited supply of high quality wines. In addition, the demand for these wines continues to increase, in fact, it seems to be insatiable. This combination has caused the prices of Burgundy wine to go to extreme levels.
I would not be surprised if a good bottle of my beloved Richebourg, or a La Tache, Romanee Conti, Nuit St. Georges, etc., etc..... are in the $250.00 to $400.00 PER BOTTLE.
In addition, on the whites the situation is no better. Try to get a good Chasagne Montrachet, Mersault, Puligny Montrachet, Pommard, etc. etc. for under $150.00 or more...
This gives you an "ordinary" bottle of the above, (i.e. a wine produced "for" a "Negociant", (as opposed "by" a vineyard), for $45 and more/bottle. By this I mean, a "generic" Puligny Montrachet etc.
The above, allows the domestic (US) grower a wider margin in which to compete with a better price, luckily, for us mere wine drinking mortals, the wines produce in California and Washington State are superb!! (Particularly the Chardonnays).
A few vineyards in Washington State are:
Woodward Canyon, Blackwood Canyon (Wonderful story about this one, and their incredible Semillon Blanc too), L'Ecole (also Semillon Blanc)
California Chardonnay: Acacia, Far Niente, Cakebread, and Sonoma Cutrer (one of my favorites I think it is from the Russian River, in the where the better vineyard of this wine comes from), Arrowood... etc. etc...
All of the above has lead me to seek Chilean wines (for both quality and value....
As for
What kind of stem ware do you use?
Well... All I ask is that it has a globe shape, NO COLOR, and of decent crystal, (no frills, clear)... I want to see the COLOR of the wine, particularly, those reddish browns
I do want crystal, as it is fun to dab your finger in the nectar and then rub the wineglass ridge, round, 'n round, 'n round, until the crystal begins to "sing"... have an entire table of guest doing that and it is fun.... (for a little bit.)
Other than that....
They cost about 1/4 of the other, and don't break as easily as the 30 oz. glasses.
Correct....
A decanter, however is a must, particularly in older vintages (and Bordeaux and Calif. Cabernets, as surely they will have lots of sediment.... (Same with Ports) Baccarat.... But less expensive ones will do the same trick, (i.e. free you of the sediment)... plus it has the proverbial... "Je ne se que"... Impress the guests, that's in English... he, he, he... (I think)
"When [the wines] were good
they pleased my sense, cheered my spirits,
improved my moral and intellectual powers, besides,
enabling me to confer the same on other people."
~ George Saintsbury.
Perhaps... that was the reason Thomas Jefferson was such a brilliant man. |
